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>> For more on the 2024 American election results, read this piece by Elephant’s Editor-in-chief, Waylon Lewis: Trump wins.

*Editor’s Note: Elephant Journal articles represent the personal views of the authors, and can not possibly reflect Elephant Journal as a whole. Disagree with an Op-Ed or opinion? We’re happy to share your experience here.

My heart feels shattered into a million pieces.

The election has made it clear where our country sits on the path to awakening.

My pain is multifaceted—it isn’t just that a man accused of so much harm has been chosen to lead; that pales in comparison to the realization that so many around me—our neighbors, our community—have chosen to stand by him.

I am struggling to reconcile the depth of division and hate surrounding us, the weight of knowing that the values I hold dear feel so distant from the choices people have made. As a disabled woman, I feel more invisible than ever, as if the beliefs and dignity that guide my life somehow count for less. I have spent years teaching my daughter about acceptance, love, and compassion. But now, I find myself at a loss, searching for words to explain why kindness, respect, and empathy seem to be losing ground in the very world she’s growing up in.

Irony doesn’t begin to cover it.

We spend years telling our children they have control over their bodies, that they are worthy of respect, and that no one has the right to diminish their dignity. And then…this.

How do I explain to her that so many people around us, including those who likely have daughters, nieces, and granddaughters, chose to endorse someone accused of violating that very respect?

What message does this send to our daughters who are learning about consent, power, and self-worth?

Some will say that politics is a complex game, that we can’t take a single factor as the whole picture. But how do I, as a mother and a woman who’s fought so hard for visibility and respect, separate the personal from the political?

This isn’t a boardroom decision. It’s a choice that will ripple into every fiber of our culture, shaping what our children see as acceptable, forgivable, or even ignorable.

Our country has made a loud statement, and it’s echoing through every value I thought we stood for. It says, “Power is more important than ethics.” It says, “If you have enough influence, your history doesn’t matter.” It says, “Survival of the fittest,” where the fittest are those with the loudest voices and the deepest pockets, not those with the truest hearts or clearest respect for others.

This isn’t just my pain—it’s a collective pain.

The irony here is so sharp, it’s almost blinding. How do I tell my daughter we live in a world where dignity and respect can be set aside like yesterday’s news when power is at stake?

How do I help her understand that, despite all our progress, we’re still held back by this glaring hypocrisy?

I want my daughter to see a country where leaders reflect the best of who we are. I want her to know that character matters, that honesty matters, that respect is non-negotiable. But today, I have to face the harsh truth that, to many, these values don’t seem to matter at all.

I don’t know how I’ll explain it. And the fact that I even have to is a heartbreak I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

To everyone struggling deeply today, know that you are not alone. Surround yourself with those who love deeply, who believe in kindness and compassion. Keep shining, keep healing—together, we are stronger than the darkness around us.

~